Chapter 1
Everything had ended.
I collapsed onto the white marble floor of the temple.
I didn’t even have the strength to stand anymore.
The territory below the mountain—Ardent Luna—had already been completely overrun by barbarians.
“Kassia, run to the temple! Hurry!”
If my mother hadn’t sent me away, I would have already lost my life at their hands.
The cold of the floor, steeped in the night air, seeped into my skin.
I forced my stiffening limbs to move and crawled toward the statue deeper inside.
“G-Goddess…”
My eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, caught the massive shape of the statue.
Squeezing out my fading voice, I murmured,
“Goddess Vesta…”
The statue of Vesta, the goddess of fire and the guardian deity of my family, stood unwavering.
I gathered the last remnants of my magic at my fingertips.
A warm energy spread, and a faint flame flickered to life.
“I’m… sorry I couldn’t protect you…”
The small flame, the size of a candlelight, faintly illuminated the surroundings. Then the massive bas-relief on the temple wall became visible.
There, the glorious past of my family was etched.
Countless ancestors who had once brought honor to our name stood as if guarding the statue of Goddess Vesta.
They were the most powerful guardians of sacred fire.
I had always admired them.
Ever since I realized I was a descendant of Ignitus, I had wanted to be just like them.
To become someone who shone brightly and protected what was dear to me with my own hands…
“Please, Goddess… or anyone… please protect our family.”
Whispering such a shameless prayer, I bowed my head for a long time.
How much time passed?
Footsteps approached through the darkness.
“Lady Kassia. So you were here.”
It was Valonius, the deputy commander of our family.
He was approaching me with his sword still drawn.
“You came to save me…!”
Relief washed over me—but only for a moment. Then I noticed something was wrong.
Behind him, our soldiers were entering alongside the invaders.
As if they were all on the same side.
There was only one possibility.
The people of the territory had betrayed my father and colluded with the barbarians.
Come to think of it, there had been several strange things.
The sturdy fortress walls had fallen too easily.
The barbarian cavalry advanced to the lord’s castle in the dead of night without resistance.
“Th-the gate… was opened?”
I asked with a trembling voice.
But the soldiers only looked down at me with amused smiles.
“Why?! How could you?!”
I screamed, my voice hoarse and cracked.
“You said we’d protect the territory together. My father and I… we thought of you as family. So how could you…?”
There wasn’t a single lie in my words.
Protecting the people—that was the highest value to our house, Ignitus.
We did everything to protect the territory’s citizens.
We led battles ourselves. We spent all of our ancestral wealth for the people.
It was okay because we believed they were a part of us too.
“Th-there must be a reason. Right? There has to be a reason. Right?”
As I struggled to accept it, Valonius replied.
“A reason? Even now, you’re clinging to that? How foolish. It was torture to bow to your stuck-up family all this time!”
“So from the beginning… this was your plan…?”
“Go to the underworld and complain to the spirits who forced you into such useless duties. Tell them their forced sacrifices led to this.”
Then he raised his sword high.
In a blink, the blade swung down.
I lay sprawled on the floor, hearing footsteps grow distant.
As my life slipped away, the power of fire I’d suspended in the air slowly faded.
The statue of the goddess sank back into darkness.
…I’m sorry… for failing you all.
* * *
“My lady! My lady!”
Someone’s urgent voice roused me.
“My lady, please wake up! What in the world happened!”
The floor was warm.
But I had clearly passed out on cold marble. Marble shouldn’t feel this warm.
…Where am I?
“My lady!”
Someone cried urgently and lightly slapped my cheek.
‘Mother… Father…?’
I snapped my eyes open in a panic and saw a group of people surrounding me.
“She’s awake!”
Who are these people? Did they just call me my lady?
Are they from our house?
I slowly sat up and looked around. I had never seen any of their faces before.
And they were all dressed in old-fashioned linen garments, like people from centuries ago.
Confused, someone appeared from behind the crowd and shouted,
“What’s all this commotion!”
At that stern voice, the crowd instantly fell silent and parted to clear a path.
The man who appeared had curly hair and looked to be in his middle years.
“Gasp!”
I nearly fainted again from shock.
That face—engraved into the temple walls—was moving before my very eyes.
I had spent hours gazing at that painting.
There was no way I wouldn’t recognize him.
Tiberius Ignitus.
The 14th head of our house—an ancestor from a long time ago.
‘Am I… dead?’
I remembered reading myths that said when one dies, they go to the underworld and meet spirits living as they were before death.
I rubbed my eyes vigorously and carefully looked at the man again.
‘It’s really Lord Tiberius…!’
It was clear now.
I had died in the temple and come to the afterlife.
But then why weren’t my parents here? Had I arrived first?
As I looked around, my eyes met Lord Tiberius’s gaze, and I instantly fell prostrate to the ground.
Even though I was the disgraceful final heir of the family, he came to see me himself.
I forced my stiff lips to speak his name.
“L-L-L-Lord Ancestor…!”
Was I that weakened? Why was my pronunciation such a mess?
“What’s this ‘L-L-Lord’ nonsense?”
Tiberius spoke, clearly not understanding me due to my strange slurring.
I desperately moved my tongue and tried again, enunciating each word.
“L-Lord… Ancestor!” (조상님!)
No, now it sounded even worse! Did I bite my tongue when I died?
Instead of replying to me, Lord Tiberius turned to someone beside him and asked,
“What’s all this fuss about?”
“S-she suddenly collapsed, my lord…”
“She doesn’t seem injured. Will she be able to attend the meeting?”
“Y-yes!”
I answered like I was possessed.
A meeting?
Was this a tribunal to judge the disgraceful descendant who failed to protect the family?
I decided to follow Lord Tiberius for now.
As I walked, countless thoughts swirled in my head.
What could I possibly say to our ancestors?
What was happening in the world I left behind? My parents… Ardent Luna…
My steps were heavy.
After passing through a wide corridor, we reached a chamber with two large chairs. And there, I saw a boy—and my jaw dropped.
‘That man is…!’
“You’re here, Uncle.”
The man carved closest to Goddess Vesta’s statue. The most powerful general of blue flame in Ignitus history.
Abellus, the 15th head of our house after Tiberius, was standing there.
But unlike the mural, where he looked like a dignified man, he was absurdly young.
A mere teenager.
‘Are all the former heads gathered here? To judge me…?’
I knelt at a respectful distance, prepared to accept their judgment.
When Abellus’s crimson eyes turned toward me, I flinched and lowered myself even more.
Soon, the chamber filled with people.
Tiberius sat at the head seat, with Abellus seated beside him.
“Let us begin the regular meeting. However…”
Tiberius paused mid-sentence.
Since I had kept my eyes glued to the floor, I didn’t know why.
“Is something wrong, Kalidora?”
Someone was apparently uncomfortable.
Who was it? Who would dare show displeasure at Lord Tiberius’s meeting?
“…Kalidora!”
Abellus raised his voice.
I didn’t know who Kalidora was, but curiosity got the better of me, and I cautiously lifted my head.
Among the crowd, I was the only one bowing—and everyone was staring at me.
